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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. ROBINSON & G. W. HOLMES.

OPERATING CHAIR.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

J. B. ROBINSON & G. W. HOLMES.

' OPERATING CHAIR.

'No. 33%36. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

MM 6907M (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. B. ROBINSON & G. W. HOLMES.

OPERATING CHAIR.

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I pUNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

' JAMES B. ROBINSON AND GEORGE W. HOLMES, OF BOSTON, MASS.

OPERATING-CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,836, dated December 22, 1885.

Application filed April 10, 1885. Serial No. 161,785. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES B. ROBINsoN and GEORGE W. HOLMEs, both citizens of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Operating-Chairs; and we dohereby declare that the same are fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in surgical or Operating chairs, and it is carried out as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, where Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the improved chair. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation showing the back, seat, and leg-rests in a horizontal position. Fig. 3 represents a central longitudinal section of the chair in the same horizontal position. Fig. 4 represents in detail a cross-section on the line A B, shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a detail of the seat-frame and the manner of guiding it in the side frames or legs. Fig. 6 represents a detail of the crank, rack, and pinion for raising and lowering the seat; and Fig. 7 represents a detail view of the seat and leg-rest at the place where they are hinged together.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

a a represent the side frames or legs, made of metal, and provided in their lower ends with casters a a, of any ordinary construction.

a a are front and rear braces connecting the legs a a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

b is the seat-frame, also of metal, provided at its sides with anti-friction rollers b 12, (two on each side of the frame 12,) mounted on pins 12 b, secured to seat I), as shown in detail in' Fig. 5, such rollers being guided in the inclined grooved bars a a forming part of the respective side frames or legs, a a,as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. To the under side of the seat bare hinged the upper ends of the curved toothed racks c c, which engage into the teeth of the pinions d d, secured to the shaft d,located in suitable bearings in the sides a a.

D is a crank secured to one end of shaft d, by means of which the latter and its pinions d d are turned for the purpose of raising or lowering the seat b.

. For the purpose of insuring a proper engagement of the teeth on racks c c with the teeth of the pinions d d, and at the same time to cause the said curved racks to move noiselessly and without much frictional resistance, we locate at the back of each rack c an antifrictional roller, 0, that is journaled on a pin, 0, secured to the side a, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus it will be seen that the seat b may be raised or lowered by turning the crank D, causing the pinions d d to act on the curved racks c c, and the seat to be guided in relation to the sides a a by means of the rollers b bworking in the grooved bars a a hereinbefore described.

For the purpose of retaining the seat in any desired position after being adjusted we employ the following locking and releasing mechanism: To one end of crank-shaft d is secured the ratchet-wheel e, as shown in Fig. 6. To one of the side frames a is loosely hinged the pawl e, having a rear extension, 6, as shown in said Fig. '6. Back of the pawl e is hinged to the frame a the releasing handle or lever, f, having a forward lip or projection, f, located above the rear extension, 0, onthe pawl e. The weight of the respective pawl e and releasing-lever f will tend to keep them always in their normal positions shown 'in Fig. 6, the pawl e resting against one of the teeth on the circumference of the ratchetwheel 6.

To release 7 the pawl e from the ratchetwheel 6, when it is desired to lower the seat of the chair, it is only necessary to raise the handle or lever f a little,when its forward projection, f, depresses the rear extension, 6, of the pawl e, and causes the latter to be disengaged from the ratchet-wheel e. By letting go the lever f the pawl e is instantly locked on the ratchet-wheel e in the position as shown in Fig. 6.

In an Operating or surgical chair it is very desirable that all motions of the chair should be accomplished with as little noise or friction as possible, and for this purpose we provide the ratchet-wheel e at its side with a rubber or leather ring,E, on which the extreme end of the pawl e is made to rest, instead of dropping into the bottom of the recesses between the teeth on the circumference of the ratchet-wheel 2. Such flexible ring E may be made of any or packing, and dispense with the soft ring'E- on the ratchet-wheel e.

G is the metal frame for the back, and it is hinged in its lower end to the rear of seat I) by means of suitable hinges, g g, as shown.

To the upper rear portions of the side frames a a are secured the pins 71. h, (shown in detail in Fig. 4,) each such pin being provided with an anti-frictional roll, h, projecting into the slot G on the outside of back G, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, by which means the said back G is properly guided when the seat is raised or lowered. As the grooved guide-bars a or are made inclined toward the front of the chair, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, it will be seen that as the seat is raised it also moves toward the front of the chair, and on this account it is necessary that the recesses G G in the back G should be sufficiently elongatedto partake of the motion of the adjustable seat I). Duringthe commencement of raising the seat I) the back G is slightly raised, and by continuing the upward motion of the said seat the back G is swung on the fulcra h h until the seat is in its highest position, when the back G is made to form a horizontal extension of the seat b, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The

back'G has a central slotted or grooved guidebar, G, in which is longitudinally adjustable the head-rest guide 7:,which may be secured in position to the bar G, after being adjusted, by means of a set-screw, h, or similar device.

H is the head-rest, having a downwardlyprojecting rod or shank, H, that may be adjusted up and down in a bearing in the upper end of the guide h, and secured in position to the latter, after being adjusted, by means of the set-screw h or similar device, as shown in Fig. 1.

To the forward ends of the sides of seat b are secured the clamps k for the stirrupshanksZ Z, which are adjustable in the said clamps and secured in position to the seat by means of the clampingscrews 70' k or similar fastening devices.

To the upper end of each stirrup-shank Zis hinged the stirrup Z, having journaled to its upper ends the foot-rest Z, as shown in Figs.

- 1, 2, 3, and 7, and by this arrangement of securing the stirrups to the seat instead of to the stationary frame or the hinged leg-rests the advantage is obtained of retaining the relative positions of the lower limbs and trunk .of the patient, even if the vertical adjustment of the seat should be changed.

To the front of the seat I) are hinged inde pendently of each other the 1eg-rests L L, as shown in Fig. 1. By having each of such legrests independently hinged to the seat the advantage is obtained of being able to raise or lower one of the patients limbs while the other in detail in Fig. 7.) In its upper end each curved rack Z has a forwardly-projecting lip, 0. (Shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 7.)

To the under side of each legrest L is hinged at u a the lever 20, having forward projections u a, located above and in close proximity to the respective lips r r, as shown. Supposing aleg-rest to be in araised position, (shown inFigs. 2 and 3,) with the racks r r locked to the slotted braces m m, and it is desired to lower such leg-rest, allthatis necessary to do is to raise the outer end of the lever a, when its projections a awill depress the lips 1" r on the curved racks r r, by which the lower ends of the latter are raised and disengaged from the locking projections or stops m in the slotted braces m 'm. Whenever the operator lets go-hishold onthe trip ping-lever a, the curved racks r r are instantly made to drop by their own gravity, so as to retain the leg-rest in the desired position by the stop m locking in one of the teeth of the curved rack r, as shown.

To the lower end of each leg-restL is jointed the footrest O,which is so arranged that when not required for use it may be swung out of Fig. 3, when the foot-rest is in use.

If it is desired to remove the foot-rest 0, all that is necessary to do is to raise it sufficientl y to allow the lip o to pass by the projection- L on the leg-rest, when the foot'rest O can be drawn forward and swung downward on the fulcrum-pins 0 0 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

If so desirwi, the foot-rest may be folded on top of the 16 'rest L to equal advantage, although we p' ,fer to swing it down, as described, when iot required for use.

In the draw ngs the frame of the chair is shown only; hr in practice the seat, back, and leg-rests are pro 'ided with upholstered cushions, as is usual in surgical chairs.

P is a sliding drawer, located in suitable guides attached to sides a (1, below the seat b, and is adapted to contain the necessary surgical instruments, bandages, or medicines, or other articles requisite in an operating-room, as may be desired.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation of our invention, we

wish to secure by Letters Patent, and claim- 1. In an operating-chair, the sides a a and their grooved guides a a in combination with the seat b and its anti-friction rollers b b, the curved racks c a, hinged to the seat, and shaft d, with its pinions d d and crank D, for the purpose of vertically adjusting the position of the seat, as herein set forth.

2. In an operating-chair, the stationary sides a a, having guides a a and the verticallyadjustable seat I), having the curved racks c 0 hinged to it, in combination with shaft d, pinions d d, crank D, and anti-friction guide-rollers c c, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an operatingchair, the stationary sides a a and the vertically-adjustable seat I), guided in the sides a a, in combination with the backrest G, hinged to the seat I), and having slot- 20 ted recesses G G, adapted to receive and to be guided on the pin, and rolls h h on the sides a a, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an operating-chair, the vertically-adjustable seat b, its curved racks c a. pinions d d, shaft d, and crank D, combined with the ratchet-wheel e, pawl e e, and releasing-lever f f, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an operating-chair, the vertically-adj ust-able seat b, having the slotted braces m m secured to its forward end, in combination with the hinged leg-rests L L,, having hinged to them the curved ratchets 'r r" and releasinglevers u u", as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. ROBINSON. GEORGE W. HOLMES. Witnesses:

ALBAN ANDREN, HENRY GHADBOURN. 

